The town of Plattsburgh has been added to the Lake Champlain Basin Program, opening a path to federal aid for studying and repairing deteriorating drainage infrastructure at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said the designation could support a $650,000 assessment and inventory of Cold War-era systems that have contributed to sinkholes and sediment entering Lake Champlain.
Old drainage systems are failing
The air base closed about three decades ago, but much of its infrastructure dates to the mid-1950s. The property now includes Plattsburgh International Airport and remains important to the region's transportation and economy.
Schumer's office said pipes built to drain water from the flight line have collapsed during heavy rain, creating sinkholes and sending potentially contaminated sediment toward the lake.
Town Supervisor Chuck Kostyk said Plattsburgh lacks the resources to study and rebuild the system on its own and described the project as critical to the former base's long-term development.
Army Corps visit led to program access
Schumer arranged a meeting last year between town officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after then-Supervisor Michael Cashman requested federal help.
Army Corps engineers visited the site to assess the scope of the problem and offer technical guidance. Schumer said that work led to Plattsburgh's inclusion in the Lake Champlain Basin Program and access to funding for the proposed study and future remediation.
The basin program and its environmental assistance arm support New York and Vermont projects aimed at improving water quality, habitat and watershed resilience.
Economically disadvantaged communities such as Plattsburgh now provide a 10% local match for certain program aid, down from 35%, according to Schumer's office.
Reauthorization push begins in Congress
Schumer said he will seek to reauthorize the basin program through the next Water Resources Development Act and increase its funding in the fiscal 2027 Interior appropriations bill.
He is also backing legislation that would continue the program through 2032, strengthen oversight of its fiscal agent and formalize work with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
The senator previously secured $40 million for the Lake Champlain program through the federal infrastructure law. His office said the program's next phase should make grants easier for shoreline communities and local partners to use.
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